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12/22/2024 08:43:33 pm

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Geologists Compares Napa Earthquake to 1989 Killer Quake

Earthquake

(Photo : REUTERS/Jim Christie ) An unidentified woman walks past damage to a downtown building in Napa.

The magnitude 6.0 earthquake in Napa Valley on Sunday was the strongest recorded quake that hit the area since the Loma Prieta quake 25 years ago, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported.

The Napa Valley quake left more than 100 people injured with thousands left without power, as several historical buildings were reduced to rubble.

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However, even with the strength of Sunday's quake, the 1989 earthquake was still 22 times more powerful, according to geological reports.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake measured 6.9 on the magnitude scale and killed 63 people while injuring more than 3,700.

The epicenter of the Loma Prieta quake was 10 miles northeast of Santa Cruz and 60 miles south-southeast of San Francisco, along the San Andreas fault.

The 1989 quake affected nearly 22 miles of the fault and had a depth of about 4 to 12 miles, according to a 1996 report of the USGS.

Because of the power of the quake, the USGS said it would most likely occur after more than a few hundred years or so.

Sunday's quake, on the other hand, happened as a result of a "right-lateral strike slip fault, one that was caused by the slipping of two adjacent faults.

In a report released by the USGS, it also said that while Sunday's quake was caused by a slipping along the fault, the Loma Prieta quake had a more violent shaking caused by lifting and sinking of faults.

The focal point of the Napa earthquake was about 100 miles north of the 1989 quake, so many Napa residents felt like Sunday's quake was more powerful since it was centered in their area.

"It was so bad. Worse than the '89 quake," Napa resident Mike Desimoni told USA Today, adding that Sunday's quake went on for about 30 seconds.

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